1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a music action game machine whereby a player can enjoy performing operations in time with music, an operation instructing system suitable for the music action game machine and the storage device readable by a computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, disc jockeys who perform operations to remix music with sound effects become popular mainly in the younger generation. However, there are no game machines directed to provide the player with pleasure of simulating the disc jockeys.
One of objects of the present invention is to provide a music action game machine capable of providing the player with pleasure of performing operations in time with music.
In order to attain the above object, there is provided a music action game machine comprising:
a main body;
an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members;
a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition;
a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;
an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device;
an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members;
an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and
an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device.
According to the above-mentioned game machine, when the player operates at least one of the operation members in association with the music, the performance effect corresponding to the operation is mixed on the music. Therefore, the player can take pleasure in performing the music. Since the data of the performance procedure is stored in advance and correct timing to operate each operation member is indicated to the player through the operation instructing device in a visual manner, the player only has to operate the operation members in accordance with the instruction given from the game machine. Therefore, even if the player who is not skilled in performance of the music can enjoy the game easily. Since the operation of the player is estimated by the game machine and the result thereof is informed to the player, it is possible to enhance the competitive character of the game by changing difficulty of the game variously.
The operation input device may comprise a disk-shaped operation member as one of the operation members, and the disk-shaped operation member may be operable so as to be turned about an axis thereof.
The effect producing device may produce a scratch sound effect as the performance effect in response to a turning operation of the disk-shaped operation member, and said scratch sound effect may be similar to an actual scratch sound produced by irregularly turning a phonograph record disk with keeping contact between the phonograph record disk and a stylus of a phonograph player.
The operation instructing device may comprise: an indicator disposed on the front side of the main body and provided with at least one track extending in a predetermined direction; and a mark indicating device capable of indicating index marks, each of which is provided for indicating operation timing of each of the operation members, in such a manner that each of the index marks moves along the track and then reaches to a fixed operation position defined in the track when the operation timing associated with each of the index marks comes.
The mark indicating device may change a length of each of the index marks in said predetermined direction in accordance with a length of an operation continuation time during which each of the operation members must be operated.
In this case, it is possible to request more various performance procedure in comparison with in the case that only the operation timing is indicated to the player. This embodiment is more effective when combined with the above-mentioned disk-shape operation member.
A plurality of tracks may be provided as said at least one track, and said tracks may be arranged side by side with each other so as to accord with an arrangement of the operation members. In this case, the operation members corresponds to respective tracks different from each other.
An illumination device may be provided on the front side of the main body, and the effect producing device may control an illumination of the illumination device in response to the performance operation of the player.
A loud speaker may be provided on the front side of the main body, and the illumination device may comprise a loud speaker illuminator surrounding an outer periphery of the loud speaker.
A relationship between each of the operation members and the performance effect to be produced in response to the operation thereto may be changed in accordance with the progress of the play of the musical composition.
The estimation device may estimate the performance operation each time the performance operation is actually performed during the play of the musical composition, and the estimation informing device may inform the estimation result each time the estimation device determines the estimation result.
The estimation device may estimate the performance operation with referring to a relationship between the performance procedure stored in the storage device and a length of an operation continuation time during which each of the operation members must be operated
The main body may have a plurality of operating sections, each of which is provided with the operation input device; the estimation device may estimate the performance operation separately for each of the operating sections; and the estimation informing device may inform the estimation result separately for each of the operating sections.
The estimation device may calculate a score in accordance with superiority of the performance operation, and the estimation informing device may inform the calculated score.
The data storage device may store a plurality of data sets, each of which includes the data of the musical composition and the data of the performance procedure; and said game machine may further comprise a stage progress management device for controlling progress of a game in such a manner that when the estimation device gives a predetermined level of estimation with respect to the performance operation in one stage in which the musical playing device plays the musical composition based on one of the data sets, the game is allowed to progress to a next stage in which the music play device plays the musical composition and the instructing device instructs the performance operation based on another one of the data sets.
The effect producing device may produce a reaction effect as one type of the performance effect when the game reaches to an end of said one stage, and the reaction effect may be changed in accordance with the estimation result at the end of said one stage.
The operation instructing device may make a decision as to whether or not operation timing of each of the operation members comes, and instruct the performance operation to the player in a different visual manner in accordance with a result of said decision. In this case, the operation timing may have a certain width of time.
The estimation device may make a decision as to whether or not operation timing of each of the operation members comes, and estimate the performance operation when it is judged that the operation timing comes.
The operation instructing device may make a decision as to whether or not operation timing of each of the operation members comes, and change a standard, with which the performance operation is estimated, in accordance with a result of said decision.
The estimation device may estimate the performance operation based on a difference between timing of the performance operation defined by the data of the performance procedure and timing at which the player actually performed the performance operation.
The effect producing device may produce effects different from each other in response to respective operations of the operation members, and each of the effects corresponds to the performance effect.
The effect producing device may produce a reaction effect as one type of the performance effect each time the estimation device determines the estimation result, and the reaction effect may by changed in accordance with the estimation result.
The effect producing device may produce a predetermined sound effect so as to remix sounds of the musical composition with the sound effect in accordance with the performance operation.
The storage device may store a data set including the data of the musical composition and a plurality of operation data sections associated with the musical composition, each of the operation data sections corresponding to the data of the performance procedure; at least one of the operation data sections may be prepared so as to make difficulty with respect to the performance procedure defined thereby easier than that defined by another one of the operation data sections; and the operation instructing device may select any one of the operation data sections and instructs the player to operate the operation members based on said selected one of the data sections.
In this case, it is possible to present selectively one of the plurality of the performance procedures to the player in accordance with the skill of the player. Therefore, the player can play the game with appropriate difficulty.
The performance procedure defined by said at least one of the operation data sections may be substantially equal to a procedure in which a part of operations to the operation members is omitted in comparison with the performance procedure defined by said another one of the operation data sections.
The storage device may store automatic play data for producing the performance effect corresponding to each of the operations which are omitted in comparison with the performance procedure defined by said another one of the operation data sections; and the game machine may further comprise an automatic play device capable of producing the performance effect based on the automatic play data independently of the performance operation of the player.
The music action game machine may further comprise an operational relationship control device for changing a relationship between operations of the operation members defined by the data of the performance procedure and the operation members which are designated to be operated through the instruction of the operation instructing device with respect to the same musical composition.
The operation instructing device may comprise:
an indicator disposed on the front side of the main body, at lease one part of the indicator being provided with a plurality of tracks which extend in a predetermined direction and which correspond to the operation members, respectively; and
a mark indicating device capable of indicating index marks,
each of the index marks may correspond to each operation timing of the operation members which will come in a certain period from a present to future in a game, and the index marks may be disposed in the tracks so as to be arranged from a predetermined position toward one side of the predetermined direction in accordance with time order therebetween.
The mark indicating device may be capable of changing an indication manner of the index marks between a first mode and a second mode, the first mode may be prepared to set a relationship between the index marks and the tracks equal to a relationship between the operation members and the operation timing defined by the data of the performance procedure, and a second mode may be prepared to set the relationship between the index marks and the tracks in a different manner from that of the first mode.
The estimation device may estimate the performance operation with interpreting that a relationship between the operation timing of each of the operation members defined by the data of the performance procedure and the performance operation to each of the operation members is changed in accordance with the relationship between the index marks and the tracks when in the second mode.
The mark indicating device may be capable of selecting a third mode in which the index marks are hidden in a specific range which extends from the predetermined position in the tracks toward said one side of the predetermined direction.
The main body may have a plurality of operating sections, each of which is provided with the operation input device; the operation instructing device may be capable of instructing the same performance procedure to each of the operating sections with respect to the same musical composition; the estimation device may estimate the performance operation separately for each of the operating sections; and the estimation informing device may inform the estimation result separately for each of the operating sections.
The main body may be provided with a plurality of operating sections arranged in a lateral direction thereof, each of the operating section being provided with the operation input device; the front side of the main body may be provided with a display device for displaying a game image; the operation instructing device may be capable of changing a display manner of the display device between a first display mode and a second display mode; the first display mode may be prepared to display images for indicating timing of the performance operation on a screen of the display device with leaving a space between each of the images in the lateral direction in accordance with an arrangement of the operating sections; and the second display mode may be prepared to display the images for indicating timing in such a manner that a space therebetween is less than that in the first display mode.
Each of the data of the musical composition and the data of the performance effect may be stored in the storage device as PCM data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a music action game machine comprising:
a main body;
an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members;
a storage device for storing data of a performance procedure associated with a predetermined musical composition;
an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members based on the data of the performance procedure stored in the storage device;
an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation of the player to each of the operation members;
an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedure defined by the data stored in the storage device and the performance operation of the player; and
an estimation informing device for informing the player of an estimation result determined by the estimation device.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a music action game machine comprising:
an operation input device having a plurality of the operation members and capable of issuing operation input signals different from each other in accordance with each of operations to the operation members;
a storage device for storing data of a musical composition, data of a performance procedure with respect to each of the operation members of the operation input device, and data of sound effects corresponding to each of the operation members;
a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data of the musical composition stored in the storage device;
an performance procedure presenting device for presenting the player with the performance procedure in a visual manner in association with a play of the musical composition based on the data of the performance procedure stored in the storage device;
a sound effect producing device for producing the sound effects based on the operation input signals issued from the operation input device and the data of the sound effects stored in the storage device;
an estimation device for estimating operations of the player based on the operation input signals issued from the operation input device and the data of the performance procedure stored in the storage device; and
an estimation informing device for informing an estimation result determined by the estimation device.
Another one of objects of the present invention is to provide an operation instructing system suitable for instructing an operation of a music action game machine.
In order to attain the above object, there is provided a performance operation instructing system, which instructs a player to operate at least one operation member at a predetermined timing in association with progress of a play of a predetermined musical composition, comprising:
an indicator provided with at least one track extending in a predetermined direction; and
a mark indicating device capable of indicating index marks, each of which is provided for indicating operation timing of the operation member, in such a manner that each of the index marks moves along the track and then reaches to a fixed operation position defined in the track when the operation timing associated with each of the index marks comes.
According to the above-mentioned operation instructing system, it is possible to provide a music action game machine with a simple operation system such that the player may operate the operation member at timing when the index mark corresponding the operation member reaches to the fixed performance operation position. Therefore, the player may easily become accustomed to the operation of the game. Since the performance operation position is fixed, the player may concentrate on the game with fixing his eyes on a certain position in the indicator. It is not necessary for the player to move his eyes to follow each movement of each index mark.
The mark indicating device may change a length of each of the index marks in said predetermined direction in accordance with a length of an operation continuation time during which the operation member must be operated.
A plurality of operation members may be provided as said at least one operation member, and a plurality of tracks may be provided as said at least one track, said tracks being arranged side by side with each other so as to accord with an arrangement of the operation members.
Note that the instructing system of the present invention can be used in various types of the music game machines besides the game machine mentioned above.
Still another objects of the present invention is to provide a storage device which is readable by a computer and which stores a program and data necessary for performing a game in a music game machine.
In order to attain the above object, there is provided a storage device readable by a computer which stores data defining a procedure for operating operation members provided in a game system in association with a predetermined music, and a program for instructing a player to operate the operation members through a screen of a display device provided in the game system, and said program is prepared for causing the computer to execute steps of:
displaying an image of an instruction on the screen of the display device to operate the operation members based on the data defining the procedure;
producing a performance effect in response to an operation of the operation members performed by the player;
estimating the operation of the operation members based on a relationship between the data defining the procedure and the operation performed by the player; and
informing a result of said estimating step to the player.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device readable by a computer which stores data defining a procedure for operating operation members provided in a game system in association with a predetermined music, data of sound effects to be produced in association with operation input signals issued from the operation members in response to operations thereof, and a program for instructing a player to operate the operation members through a screen of a display device provided in the game system, and said program is prepared for causing the computer to execute steps of:
displaying an image of an instruction on the screen of the display device to operate the operation members based on the data defining the procedure;
producing at least one of the sound effects based on the operation input signals issued from the operation members and the data of the sound effects;
estimating operations performed by the player based on the operation input signals issued from the operation members and the data defining the procedure; and
informing a result of said estimating step to the player.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device readable by a computer which stores a program for giving a player an instruction to operate at least one operation member provided in a game system at a predetermined timing in association with progress of a play of a predetermined musical composition, said instruction is given through a screen of a display device provided in the game system, and said program is prepared for causing the computer to execute steps of:
displaying an indicator on the screen of the display device, said indicator being provided with at least one track extending in a predetermined direction; and
indicating index marks, each of which is provided for indicating operation timing of the operation member, in such a manner that each of the index marks moves along the track and then reaches to a fixed operation position defined in the track when the operation timing associated with each of the index marks comes.
In the present invention, the storage device may include a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive or a floppy disk, an optical or a magneto-optical storage device such as a CD-ROM, a semiconductor storage device such as a RAM or a ROM, or the other various types of the storage devices. The performance operation includes an action to complete the music by playing one part of the music by the player as well as an action to remix sounds of a complete music composition with an effect of sound or light.
Still further objects, features and other aspect of the present invention will be understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.